A few random pics

Ross and I on the summit of Mauna Kea. It couldn't have been much warmer than 40F

Me with the Ki'i at The Place of Refuge. A few minutes later is when Ross proposed.

The pahoehoe lava flows. Pahoehoe is more fluid and cools in ripples and undulations. Aa is much more rubble like.

Hawaiian graffiti. White coral from the beach contrasts so well against the dark lava rock along the roads.

Right across the street and down the block from our hotel. The Iron Man Triathlon took place on October 11...we just missed it...

To and from the shores you run into the evacuations signs. I particularly enjoy that the stick figure on the enterance sign thinks he is about to catch a wave.

Along 190 on our way to Saddle Road and Mauna Kea. It sort of looks like the mountain is angry.

A sign at the zoo on a tree that bore no fruit.

One last day

It's 8 o'clock. I've been back in Honolulu since about 4:15. What a fabulous vacation. And it went by far too quickly.

We only had a few hours to kill before our flight this afternoon. Plan A was to bum around Kona for a bit. Take our leisurely time packing and napping. A short walk out to breakfast around 10 am revealed that like most other small towns not much would be open on a Sunday. So onto plan B. Check out of the hotel about noon then northbound for a look at the petroglyphs. Ancient Hawaiian stick figure graffiti.

My navigational skills continue to be somewhat vague, so it took a bit of poking around and a short stop at the Puako general store before we were heading in the right direction.

The Puako Petroglyph Archeological Perserve ended up be just the right size excursion. It involved a short hike to and from the viewing area. I got my hike afteall. It was an interesting route, through soft, dry red dirt smelling of sunbaked straw, gnarled sparsely leafed trees, charred trunks and baked lava rock. The petrogylph viewing area was a lot smaller than I expected. A flat area of red baked rock spread before us with the faded drawings etched in their surface. Part of me thought we'd walk across an expansive field of lava rock searching for the images, like a scavanger hunt. Or perhaps even petrogylphs dotting both sides of a marked trail. It was still a treat to see these simple etchings.

And before we knew is we were back at the airport, waiting for our flight. All too fast.

All in all it was a fabulous vacation. How often can you sat that in a five day span you swam with the turtles, saw a volcano, stood on the summit of a mountain and walked on a black sand beach.

The highlight of the trip: coming back afianced. That is a hard thing to top. And I couldn't be happier!

On top of the world

Words will do what we saw little justice. It was a two hour drive from Kona to the Mauna Kea visitor center at 9,000 feet. The Summit and observatories were another 4,000+ feet up; roughly a half hour drive up a gravel road. From there, we surveyed the landscape and watched the sun set. As the last of the light faded, the cars descended back to 9,000 feet for star gazing at the visitor center. It was cold. Complete with snow. And absolutely incredible...

The drive along Saddle Road

At the visitor center, along with more expected postings about elevation sickness, driving hazards and temperature was this more bovine warning.

The barrenness of the lava fields in Kona was nothing compared to the drive to the summit.

W.M. Keck Observatory

A panoramic of the observatories

Shadows lengthen

Not a bit of the island is visible through the clouds as we stand at over 13700 feet.

Mauna Loa volcano peeks above in the distance


The shadow of the mountain is cast on the clouds below


Sunset atop Mauna Kea

From the summit. Jupiter and Venus begin to shine

And the stars. Never in my life have I ever seen the night sky so clearly. The Milky Way was a thick powder cutting across the center of the dark. Venus, Jupiter and even Andromada were all visible to the naked eye. I cannot describe how awe inspiring it was to see those billions of gems sparkle so vibrantly.

We swam with the turtles

The day's barely begun and already its a hard one to top. This morning Ross and I picked up our snorkel gear from one of the booths here in Kona and headed down to Kahalu'u Beach. The woman filling out our rental agreement urged us to try the beach down by Pu'uhonua o Hanounou instead for its lower foot traffic and occasional dolphins. Despite having a car, to snorkel down there would have added 30 minutes each way, cutting substantially into our snorkel time. We stuck with the original plan and headed to the tourist ridden Kahalu'u.

And there are no regrets for that choice. The water was much less populated than those at Hanauma Bay. And much, much more choppy. Instead of the rolling sandy beach easing into the coral reef, you start out on a gravelly grey sand beach interspersed with lava rock. It looks intimidating. The waves were not huge, but the amount of rock amplified the effect as they splashed shoreward.

But once we were in the water, we were fish again. The water was easy to navigate; and not being novices, we had no need to stay close to the shore.

Perhaps 15 minutes out, we spotted our first turtle. Right below us and not 5 feet away. I tried to give him plenty of berth, but he was unfazed by our presence. After our initial awe we turned to check out the other sea life only to spot a second turtle swim by. And this was only the beginning. All in all we swam alongside, above and near at least 6 or 7 turtles. And another 3 or so were shore bound as we left the park. It was incredible. They were so close and not shy, swimming directly between me and Ross to surface for air and then returning to feed. Few words can really describe.

Hopefully the photos will help. I'm and so glad Ross insisted on picking up the underwater cameras before we hit the beach.

Day Three

We continue to be gluttonous and devour as much of this island as we can. Today this meant hopping in the car for the two hour drive to Hilo. A half circle island tour, if you will.

Ross and I drove northbound along the Kona coast. Well, perhaps not exactly along the coast. After a brief stop at the airport to top off the car's tank, we cut inland and upward slightly, allowing for a better views of the dry, desolate coastline and old lava flows. You think of Hawaii and I doubt you think of dry prairie land, but on the northwest coast that is what surrounds you...complete with the occasional cactus.Rounding the northern coast, and entering the heart of Parker Ranch the brown grass gives way yo green and is dotted by cattle instead of succulents. This first leg of the trip the summit of Mauna Kea loomed gracefully off to our right.
As we began our trek southbound, toward Hilo along the Hamakua coast, the dry plains gave way to sugar cane and eventually dense tropical gulches. Off to your right we spotted two waterfalls tucked far back, though rushing strong: Nanue Falls and Umauma Stream. Unfortunately the lack of shoulder, speed limit and sharp curves prevented a photo op at these two beautiful sights.

To make amends, we did stop at Akaka Falls, a 442 foot falls. And it's little sister, almost hidden behind the scenery, Kahuna Falls. Some claim Akaka is the tallest falls in the US. I have yet to find any info to challenge that.

The drive to Akaka Falls led us through Honomu, a small town known for antiquing. It was a very cute town, again reminiscent of the small towns around the Dells, Mt. Horeb, New Glarus and the like. A beautiful art store and a glass crowded antique shops seemed to be the cream of the main drag's crop. It was cute, but really failed to leave a lasting impression.

Hilo on the other hand...Hilo was another 11 miles south of Honomu. Half of the town was wiped out by a tsunami in the 60's. As a result, the rest of the town has remained in a time warp of sorts, all old store fronts and street preserved from that time. It is a beautiful town, and in a way a trip back in history. They promote and push the nostalgia, despite the dying tourist trade. The antiquing here, however, to die for. Not only do you have the run of the mill used book stores and second hand clothing, but also a smattering of those specializing in Asian artifacts, coinage and other rare finds. Rare finds indeed. And some a true steal. Ross and I popped into one on a whim and were immediately sucked fully in. Ghana and Thai masks dotted the walls. Indian and Greek jewelry lined the cases. Buddhas sat peacefully along the shelves. A lotus shoe peaked out from one pile. A dirk from another. It was a true treasure trove. And along one wall hide two Javanese puppets. They were already a steal, hovering at about $100 each. The proprietor is hurting for business. Severely hurting. Apparently, despite the drop in tourism he was still doing a decent trade on eBay. Particularly to Europe. Even as our own market started to drop he pressed on. Once the drop hit Europe...he said it just stopped. Business is dying and he was trying to make a sale where ever possible. In the end, I picked up both puppets at less than half their marked price. A steal. Had I more funds, or even more luggage room for that matter, I could have done much more damage in that store. Pity he is a 45 minute plane ride away...I'd love to stop by again and peruse his foreign wares...

Three o'clock was rolling around. We'd already poked through many shops, had lunch and spotted the farmer's market. An hour still lingered before everything shut down so we drove another 15 minutes or so to the Hilo zoo. It too seems stuck in a bit of a time warp. Many of the birds are still housed in the free standing Victorian-esque cages. Well, most of the birds were. Peacocks littered the grounds, though all were strangely quiet. No sharp whining cries echoed throughout the tropical grounds. But it was a cute little zoo, and a good way to kill an hour. I think most would be hard pressed to spend much more time there unless they had a small one in tow...

After the zoo, we headed northbound again, following the same trail the bus had taken the day before, sans the multiple drop off at resorts along the coast. But the sunset tonight was not as impressive.Tomorrow night's sunset however...the goal is to see it from the summit of Mauna Kea, some 13,790 feet above sea level. I hope my head stays clear that far up!

Big Island Abounds!

This be a long one, packed with two days of sightseeing on the Big Island...

DAY ONE

Ross and I landed safely in Kona yesterday morning just after the sun rose. I managed a few gorgeous photos of the sunrise as we flew over Maui. Mauna Kea summoned us from the clouds.We grabbed a fantastic breakfast at a locale cafe and bakery called Bun in the Sun, before proceeding to the hotel. By some luck of the draw, our room had been upgraded from a garden view to an ocean view. And after an hour nap we hit the main drag of Kona to see what our host town for the next four days could provide.

A lot, apparently. Walking down the main drag of Kona reminded me a lot of the Dells. The big all inclusive resorts are well away in their own little isolated finery. But Kona is dotted with several more locally own resorts and hotels. Restaurants, bars, cafes (both of the coffee and kava variety) are clustered together, several shops deep and intermingling with galleries, sundry shops, kitchy tourist booths and activity information booths. One of the cruise ships was in port so the sidewalks were well populated. Even the walks frequently splashed by the surf.

Some highlights of our Kona walk:

The starting point of the Ironman
The first church in Hawaii
The site of the first Catholic Service
The Hulihe'e Palace...currently being restored due to a 2006 earthquake
and
the surf on the lava rock.We made it back to the hotel by 2pm. Despite being up for 10 hours already we had energy to burn and a huge island to explore. After some debate we decided to check out one of the National Historical Parks: Pu'uhonua o Honaunau. Or the Place of Refuge.

It looked like a quick trip on paper. We had practically driven halfway there earlier in the day...and that was a mere 15 minutes. Distracted and in awe of the island I had accidentally left all maps in the hotel room. Ross and I had a vague idea of where to proceed. We overshot our first exit (so we thought), ended up in Napo'opo'o on the Southern side of Kealakekau Bay after following a one way road. There, after being hailed by a surfer dude about renting a kayak before we even parked the car, we discovered we actually needed to head four miles in the opposite direction, along the same one way road.

The area was completely desolate, much like the area around the airport when we first landed. That terrain had both Ross and I slightly concerned when we first landed. Big Island looks so different in appearance than Oahu. For good reason though. It is the youngest island. And much of the lava flow we had already seen was barely 60 years old. The volcanoes still spew, ever expanding the island. And while tourism is a large portion of the island's income, it is not the mainstay. Farming and ranching is. With these as major income, the Big Island remains very rural and full of a small town feel despite the Island's large size. Whereas Oahu...well...most of their money actually comes from the military...

I digress...Eventually we made it to the front gate of Pu'uhonau o Honaunau. This was the home of the Kona royalty as well as a place of refuge for defeated warriors, those unable to fight during war and those seeking sanctuary after breaking cultural taboos (most of which punishable by death). Thatched huts spotted the area. A turtle sunbathed on the canoe landing. And on the far end stood a temple surrounded by ki'i.Walking around the temple Ross and I stopped for a photo of the two of us. After commenting on how happy I was, he made me even happier, proffering a small box from his pocket. Yes, on vacation on the Big Island, on these sacred lands of the Hawaiians, surrounded by black rock, lulling surf and a beautiful sky, he proposed. I can't say I wasn't expected it. But I was still surprise beyond words. Surprised to tears actually.

It's hard to top a moment like that...

Eventually we wrapped up our tour of the place of refuge and headed back into Kona. Already a full day was under our belt. And we still had the circle island tour to come today.

DAY TWO

The circle island tour. So much to write about! We started at 7am. The tour bus picked us up directly across the street. It was slow going at first as we had to collect our fellow travelers from various hotels along the route. We meandered southward, along the route we had taken the day before.
Our first official stop was a coffee co-op and museum for a Kona coffee tasting. Not Ross' thing but the perfect start to my day. I made the mistake of trying Kona peaberry coffee first. Peaberry is unique in that the bean is not split, but whole. Soooo good. If only I could afford the $35 a pound price sticker. I opted for a few 2oz bags instead. For the occasional indulgence.

The co-op isn't a plantation. Rather it is the middle man of the coffee industry. Farmers are paid about 1.15 on the pound for their crop. The co-op has the facilities to then split the cherries, dry and roast the beans, package the result and market the fragrant Kona beans. It's a lot of work for a morning routine. A slightly uppity woman on our tour tried to defend her Starbucks status by educating us on the proper way to sample coffee. Nice thought, and while I greatly appreciated the smoother flavor and robust aroma of the Kona beans, I was just as happy to intake my caffiene that morning.

We continued southbound, stopping next at the southernmost bakery in the US, Punalu'u Bakeshop. After sampling Portuguese sweet bread, purchasing lunch for later and indulging in a few bits of pastry, the troupe loaded back on the bus and headed to the black sand beach.
Surreal is the only way to truly describe the black sand beach at Punalu'u. I expected the beach to feel much warmer, retaining heat as only dark colors are wont to do. Not the case at all. It looked like any other palm spotted tropical beach. Same soft sands, same blue surf. Only someone took a magic marker to the photo and covered every trace of pristine white sand. It was stunning, even with the thongs of our companions who crowded the photo opts and scared away the lone turtle sunning on the bay (we believe the turtle was old hat at this routine...shortly after our disappointed companions wandered away he hauled his hefty girth back onto the shore for the four of us who still lingered). And some will be pleased to know, it is not really bad luck to remove black sand from the island. It is only forbidden to be removed from a state park. But a wee bit of sand collected elsewhere and sold at the lei stand...that is permissible. Nicole, I got you your black sand after all! As well as a few ounces of sand that found its way into my sneakers.

Having rounded the southernmost point, we continued north up the coast to Volcano National Park and the gaseous plume I still hold responsible for much my illness back in March and April. Another surreal stop. It was other worldly. The Kilauea Caldera spread before us, a giant barren crater. We ate lunch overlooking the moon like landscape, in awe of the plume steaming from deep within its center. After lunch, the bus crept along the edge for a view from a slightly different angle. No lava is to be seen at the caldera. Most of the lava is viewable only by sky or by boat where the current flow meets the sea. The eruption beginning in 1983 continues to expand this southern point of the island. It's a powerful sight and a scary thought. Humbling and awe inspiring....

One more stop at the park before continuing on...the Thurston Lava Tube. Tubes such as these are created when the molten lava cools upon contact with the air. Or at least the surface of it does. The result is a straw of hardened igneous rock through which the molten rock continues to flow. Travels miles underground in this fashion. The Thurston lava tube is long emptied of its fiery content, provided a chilly cave like trek.The highlights of the day end here, though we still had more than half the island to circumnavigate. The next 5 hours comprised of mostly driving, with our guide filling us with tidbits of lore, history, myth, humor and personal experiences. The lengthy drive was interrupted by several 10-15 minute stops. Mostly stops of the tourist and retail variety.
An orchard nursery. The macadamia nut factory.
Big Island Candy Company (so dangerous, but so good). Rainbow Falls just outside of Hilo (which was unfortunately more of a trickle because of the dry week), Parker Ranch Gift store (here one of the cashiers, local through and through described the jerky as ono, then promptly apologized and corrected herself saying she meant good. Ross brushed it off, replying we were from Honolulu and knew exactly what she meant). Thankfully, being for only a few islands over, Ross and I had little need to stock up on tropical snacks. We only need to walk done to Safeway to find the same, and often on sale... Given the sheer amount of food stops along the tour and free samples handed out, the circle island tour could be foodie heaven.

Parker Ranch was our last stop. The sun was inching downward, illuminating the obsveratories on top of Mauna Kea. As the colors shiftered from soft pastels to fiery ornages, fuschias and purples, we begin dropping our fellow companions off at the various hotels back into Kona. In the end, we had spent 12 hours with this group. But it was 12 hours well spent.

A long two days. But a great two. I hope I kept your attention over such a long post!